DUCK. 



339 



female is all over of a brownish ash-colour, with part 

 of the sides and the belly white, the vent also white, 

 but with a green spot on the wing-, resembling that of 

 the male, only less bright in the colour. 



The common teal spends the winter season in a 

 state of very great concealment ; so that very little is 

 known of its breeding places. There is no doubt, 

 however, that, it breeds among the reedy pools near 

 the margins of most of the humid districts, more espe- 

 cially in the richer parts of the country. Indeed, it 

 is not uncommon in the more retired morasses in 

 most parts of Britain, and also of the eastern part of 

 the continent, generally, as there is nothing to give it 

 a decided seasonal migration in latitude. It is met 

 with as far to the north as Iceland, and as far south 

 as between the thirtieth and fortieth parallels of lati- 

 tude ; and it is highly probable that its character, in 

 every part of this wide range, is that of a resident 

 bird. In tidal rivers the teal feed chiefly when the 

 water is at an ebb ; and are driven from their grounds 

 as the tide rises, and as their haunts are among the 

 tall reeds some art is required in arriving at them. 

 The nest is carefully concealed among the herbage, 

 and composed of a very considerable quantity of grass 

 and stalks lined with finer ones, and sometimes with 

 a few feathers. The eggs are numerous, being from 

 ten to sixteen or seventeen ; they are about the same 

 size as pigeons' eggs, and of a dull yellowish colour. 



GARGANY, or SUMMER TEAL (Q. circia). This 

 species is about the same size as the common teal, 

 which it resembles in very many of its habits, though 

 the body is a little more elongated, and this form is 

 generally accompanied by a more discursive habit. 

 The leading characters of the gargany are : the bill 

 black, the feet dusky-grey, the wing-spots greyish 

 green, bordered with white ; a white streak down the 

 side of the neck from the eye ; the back and breast 

 purplish brown, marked with crescent-shaped dusky 

 spots ; the belly cream colour ; the flanks and vent 

 dusky, as are also the quills and tail feathers ; the 

 coverts grey with white margins ; and the wing spots 

 green, but very inconspicuous in the female, which 

 has the upper part brown with dusky streaks. This 

 bird is, like all the rest, chiefly seen in England 

 during the winter only ; and for this reason, though 

 it is called " summer" teal, it is usually described as 

 a winter visitant. In France, where it is more com- 

 mon than in England, it begins to build its nest in 

 the beginning of April, whilst it begins in England a 

 month later than this ; so that there is little chance 

 of the same individual birds, being seen in both 

 countries ; and thus it is probable that it not only 

 breeds in some parts of the British islands, but in 

 many of them, though no whore very abundantly, and 

 always in a very concealed and hiding manner. The 

 pairing cry of the male bears some slight resemblance 

 to that of the corn-crake, only it is harsher, and not 

 nearly so loud, and it ceases before the time at which 

 the other begins. The nest is placed on the ground 

 among thick herbage , and the eggs, which are green- 

 ish fawn-colour, are said to be more numerous than 

 the common tea.. 



BIMACULATED TEAL (Q.. glotitans). . This species 

 is rather larger than the common teal. Its bill is 

 lead colour, with the margin and nail on the tip black ; 

 the feet are of a dull yellowish colour, with the webs 

 dusky ; the head, and upper part of the neck, are 

 deep black, with rich reflections of purple and green ; 

 and on each side of the head there are two bright 



spots of rust colour, one before the eye, and the other 

 behind, and it is from these spots that it gets its 

 common name of bi maculated, or two-spotted. The 

 prevailing colour is n$h, passing into purplish brown, 

 with a wing- spot of bright green, bordered with white, 

 and divided in two by a black bar. This species is 

 very rare indeed, even as a straggler, though it is 

 abundant in the marshes of eastern Europe, and of 

 western and central Asia. Its manners are therefore 

 little known, though it is understood that both it and 

 some other species of teal, which inhabit still further 

 to the south-eastward in Asia, differ so little from 

 those of the teal of western Europe, that a particular 

 description of them is not necessary, at least for 

 popular purposes. 



THE AMERICAN SUMMER TEAL, or SUMMER DUCK 

 (Q.. sponsa). This is one of the most beautiful of the 

 whole family of ducks, of gentle manners, and tamed 

 without much difficulty. It inhabits the warm parts 

 of North America, and many of the West India 

 islands, and remains during the breeding season. 

 Its habits differ from those of the European teal, 

 though these probably depend more on the different 

 nature of the two countries than of anv great differ- 

 ence of the birds. The chief habit is, that this one 

 builds very frequently in the hollows of old trees, in 

 consequence of which it is called the wood-duck, 

 while the teal of Europe builds on the ground or 

 among the herbage. There are, however, other in- 

 stances in nestling on trees in America, while the 

 corresponding species in Europe nestle on the 

 ground. This is a very neat and compact little 

 species, and has been introduced into the Zoological 

 Society's gardens by the late able and enterprising 

 naturalist who met with so dreadful a death in the 

 trap for wild bulls in the Sandwich Islands. These 

 birds have bred readily in the gardens, and there is 

 no doubt that they might be generally introduced 

 into this country. Their chief value, however, would 

 be as ornamental birds on the waters of pleasure- 

 grounds, for their flesh is described as being of very 

 inferior quality. We subjoin Wilson's description of 

 this bird, as it is exceedingly accurate, so much so, 

 that it does not admit of improvement. It is "nine- 

 teen inches in length, and two feet four inches in 

 extent ; bill red, margined with black ; a spot of 

 black lies between the nostrils, reaching nearly to the 

 tip, which is also of the same colour, and furnished 

 with a large hooked nail ; irides orange red ; front, 

 crown and pendent crest, rich glossy bronze green, 

 ending in violet, elegantly marked with a line of pure 

 white running from the upper mandible over the eye, 

 and with another band of white proceeding from 

 behind the eye, both mingling their long pendent 

 plumes with the green and violet ones, producing a 

 rich effect ; cheeks and sides of the upper neck 

 violet ; chin, throat, and collar round the neck, pure 

 white, curving up in the form of a crescent nearly to 

 the posterior part of the eye ; the white collar is 

 bounded below with black ; breast dark violet brown, 

 marked on the fore part with minute triangular spots 

 of white, increasing in size until they spread into the 

 white of the belly ; each side of the breast is bounded 

 by a large crescent of white, and that again by a 

 broader one of deep black ; sides under the wings 

 thickly and beautifully marked with five undulating 

 parallel lines of black on a ground of yellowish drab ; 

 the flanks are ornamented with broad alternate semi- 

 circular bands of black and white ; sides of the vent 

 Y2 



